Core Laboratories

Cell Culture Core

Cell Culture and Xenograft Repository

This core laboratory serves as the Cell Culture and Xenograft Repository for the Childen's Oncology Group and also is the Texas Cancer Cell Repository (www.TXCCR.org). New cell lines and xenografts are initiated from both adults and children with cancer, expanded, characterized, and readied for distribution. The core can also provide cell lines that are obtained from other sources (if those lines can be subdistributed) to TTUHSC investigators. All cell lines are tested for mycoplasma and cell line identity verified by short tandem repeat (STR) (see Cell Line Identification). Storage of "back up" cryopreserved samples is available for TTUHSC investigators.

Cell Line Identification

An alarming number of cell lines have been found to be either mis-identified or cross-contaminated, so investigators are conducting research with cell lines that are not from the patient they are thought to come from, and often are not even derived from patients with the same type of cancer, or are of animal origin. The TTUHSC Cancer Center promotes good practice in the use of cell lines and xenografts by making available a robust short tandem repeat analysis of cell line identification. Cancer Center investigators maintain a searchable STR database online for both the COG and TXCCR repositories with 1000's of STR profiles in a searchable database to facilitate validating cell line identify or insuring newly established lines are unique and not cross-contaminated.

Immunocompromised Mouse Core

The Cancer Center maintains a laminar flow caging system in the TTUHSC Lubbock animal facility. Access to cancer investigators is available but space is limited. For more information contact C. Patrick Reynolds, MD PhD.

Molecular Biology Core

Quantitative RT-PCR An ABI TaqMan instrument is available. The TaqMan is equipped to run TaqMan low density arrays.

DNA Sequencer An ABI sequencer optimized for Short Tandem Repeat assays (STR) provides robust cell line identification. At this time routine sequencing is not done on this instrument, but related analysis, such as fragment analysis (to detect small genomic deletions) are conducted on this sequencer.

Recharges: Currently no recharges are imposed, but use of instruments must be approved by the Cancer Center Director or his designee.